A/N: To Nica. Happy Birthday! I know this is tons late, but be glad you're getting anything at all. The Nico/Sadie fic I promised you for Christmas should be done soon, at any rate.
as of 09.20.12: ohwow. I'm a bit speechless. A big thank you to whoever nominated Hidden Beneath the Mist for a Phoenix Award in the Best Romance Category. If you like, you can vote at .com. C:
~Hidden Beneath the Mist~
You always fall for that girl, the pretty, unatainable girl who would never in a bajillion years love you back. But you never, not even in your wildest dreams, imagined you'd fall for Piper McLean. You should have expected it though - she's just as beautiful, just as out of your league, just as perfect (maybe even more so, you think) as the dozens of others you've fallen for. She's different, though. When you first realized how you felt – and it was unexpected, a whirlwind of emotions on a perfectly clear day - you almost dropped the hammer you were holding. Something makes you think they've always been there, like clouds on the horizon, buried with your Mist-covered memories.
But she is Jason's, and Jason is hers. They're inseparable, always talking and laughing around everywhere while you work hard at building the ship of your dreams that will take you to meet the other camp. You feel like the third wheel again, always popping in on their dates during the short breaks you occasionally let yourself have. You know you're unwelcome, and sometimes you relish the feeling you get when you insert yourself into their conversations. Mostly though, you feel guilty for disrupting their time together (not that you'd ever admit it).
You remember the first time, at the Wilderness School, watching, always watching, as she fell for Jason, tried to get Jason to notice her feelings, and finally, the day they got together, her pure happiness at being with him all over her face. You remember them shyly holding hands the next day, her triumphant look, a huge smile making her all the more beautiful. Your memories at the Wilderness School are a little blurry, but that's to be expected because none of it was real. (You feel something in your heart shatter as you remember the look on her face when she realised that.)
You sometimes wonder if it was ever you she tried so hard to win over, you she wanted to be with. You she once loved. But you'll never know because Hera took it all away when she sent them Jason, manipulating the Mist to alter their memories, making Piper think she was in love with Jason just so that it would be easier for the two camps to get along. You hate her for that.
When you found out that all of your memories from those three months weren't real, you almost jumped for joy. Maybe this time, you wouldn't be left out. Maybe this time, you'd get the girl. (Maybe, the voice in your head whispers, you always had the girl) But no. You just sat there watching as she fell for your best friend all over again. You screwed your second chance.
You want to curse your father for his genes. Because sometimes, you really do want to be able to interact with organic life forms without messing everything up.
You watch from the window of the forges as they walk past you, hands intertwined, their heads bent close together. A smile suddenly lights up her face, and in the next second, she's laughing like she never wants to stop. It isn't fair. You can't help but think that you should be the one making her so happy and carefree. You turn away from them and go back to working on the boat of your dreams. But you know that your dream boat means nothing without your dream girl standing next to you at the helm.
But Piper is Jason's, and everyone knows that the beauty queen would never settle for less than the golden boy. And so the hero always gets the girl.
A/N: Comments, suggestions, violent reactions? I know the Leo/Piper pairing isn't much supported, but I think they'd be good together. I'm thinking of maybe making this into the prologue of a multi-chaptered fic. Would anyone be opposed to that? Any and all reviews are very appreciated.